Inferno

by Jay Gill

  Moon struggled and yanked her wrist away. She slammed the knife down on the worktop. “What the hell are we here for, then?” She began to walk in circles.

  “I don’t believe you sometimes. Let’s just go through the house. Learn the lay of the land and get out of here. I can’t believe you wanted to kill the man’s dog!”

  Moon continued to pace up and down and around.

  Fischer had seen her like this before. “Why don’t you wait for me in the car? I’ll take a quick look around, and you can beep the horn if you see someone coming.”

  Moon looked at Fischer and down at the dog. “Okay. I’ll do that.”

  Fischer reached into the fridge and pulled out the tomato-sauce bottle. “Moon, before you go.”

  “Yeah?”

  He handed her the bottle. “Squirt the dog.”

  Moon laughed. She took the bottle and squirted the red sauce all over the top of the dog’s head and down its back and over the floor and table and chairs and cupboards. With her arm, she swept the items on the kitchen table onto the floor, then did the same to the worktops. She went to the sink and swept the plates from the draining board into the sink. Finally, she kicked over the kitchen bin.

  Chapter Seventeen

  While Fischer struggled to open the door to Judy’s bungalow, Moon wrapped her arms around his neck and chewed on his ear. The pair of them nearly fell into the hallway as the door opened.

  Fischer had wondered whether Moon was using again and, seeing her behaviour now, he was sure of it. She was more restless, excited and agitated than usual. Before his arrest, she’d given up the drugs. It had been tough, but she’d done it; he was proud of how hard she’d fought. But without him looking out for her, both her cravings and the bastard dealers had got their claws into her again.

  “That stupid dog – we should have killed it. Bam!” Moon ran around waving and thrusting her hand like she held a knife. “Slash! Slash! Slash! I’d have loved to see the look on Hardy’s face when he got home and found his pooch with its throat cut. Why didn’t you let me kill the dog?” Moon made a whining noise like a dying dog as she unbuttoned his shirt and unfastened his trouser belt.

  Moon led the way, pulling him through the house by his waistband, looking for the bedroom. Her left eye was twitching, and she kept touching her face and hair.

  Turning on the hall light, Fischer took Moon’s chin and tilted her head to look into her eyes. They were red and bloodshot. Her skin was sweaty, but she was cold to the touch.

  “Come on, Eddie,” said Moon. She stood in front of him in the hallway and kicked off her shoes. She unbuttoned her jeans, rolled them down with a wriggle and kicked them behind her. She then took off her sweater and threw it over her shoulder. She unfasted her bra and let it fall to the floor, then began dancing provocatively in just her knickers. “I need you. I want you. Come and get me.” Seeing the door to the lounge open, she ran into the room and jumped on the armchair.

  Fischer followed. “Are you high?”

  “I’m buzzing, that’s all. We just broke into Inspector Hardy’s house. Now get over here. I’m horny as hell.” Moon sat down and leaned back on the armchair, then spread her legs over the arms of the chair. She reached out and repeatedly called to him. “Get your arse over here now,” she demanded. “Fischer? Now!”

  Fischer remained by the door. He could see it now; she was definitely high. “You know what I mean. You’re high. Don’t you lie to me.”

  “Yeah, okay, so I did a little coke. So what? Who doesn’t? It’s no big deal. What are you, my dad?”

  “Do you remember how hard it was to get off all that shit? Do you remember what it was like? It starts with a little coke, and then what? Uppers to keep you even when you crash and downers to help you sleep?”

  “Fuck you! Don’t get all high and mighty. If it wasn’t for me, you’d still be rotting in a cell. You want to know something? You’ve been a real pain in the butt since you got out. I don’t know what’s been going on in that head of yours, but I don’t like it. Whatever it is, you need to get over it. You’re at serious risk of becoming a bore.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “You came out and you were spouting all this stuff about making Hardy’s life a living hell, and now you’re all ‘Don’t kill the dog! What are you doing, Moon? We can’t kill the man’s dog!’ I don’t get it. What’s with you?”

  Moon got up and started examining the room. She picked up ornaments and pictures in frames. Finally, she said, “I’m going to take a shower. You missed your chance to screw me. Which way is the bathroom?”

  She tried to push past Fischer, but he grabbed her by the arm. Moon shrugged and pulled away, but Fischer didn’t let go. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m sorry. I just don’t want you going back down that rabbit hole. Putting that shit into your body... Neither of us wants that. Promise me you’ll stop, before it’s too late.”

  Moon couldn’t look at him.

  “Please, Moon. It’s the real Moonbeam I want.”

  “Okay. I’ll stop. But you’ve got to lighten up. At least tell me what’s going on. It’s more than just Hardy, I know that much. I’m not stupid.”

  “You’re right. There’s something else I have to do before we leave the country. But I don’t want to say anything right now.”

  Moon lifted her head and looked at him. “Fine,” she said. “You don’t want to tell me, that’s fine.”

  “I do and I will. Just not right now,” said Fischer.

  “Mind if I take a shower?”

  Fischer let go of her arm. “It’s down there on the right.”

  Fischer sat down on the sofa. He listened to the shower come on, Moon stomping about, and the shower curtain being thrashed along the rail. He could feel her anger resonating from down the hall.

  Fischer pulled his wallet from his trouser pocket. He opened it and took out a dog-eared and faded photo of a child. The infant was sat on a low wall. She wore a white dress with embroidered yellow daisies. Her white, soft shoes had silver buckles. Her brown hair, which reached her shoulders, was fine and had a slight wave in it. She was smiling and holding out an ice cream to the camera. He remembered the moment like it was yesterday.

  Fischer tucked the photo back into his wallet. He got up and walked down the hall to the bathroom. He opened the door and stood in the doorway watching Moon through the shower curtain. She was motionless, head down, letting the water cascade over her hair.

  “So, what’s next?” asked Moon. “You know we’ve left prints all over his house. He’ll know soon enough it was us that broke in.”

  “I want Hardy to know it’s me. Otherwise, there’s no point in me doing any of this. I want him worried.”

  “What do you have in mind? I assume you want to do more than cover his dog in ketchup,” scoffed Moon.

  “We give it a few days and then we go back. We’re going to seriously heat things up.” Fischer was feeling the joy of freedom again. Even having an argument felt good. Arguing was what normal couples did. He also had purpose. For him, the greatest hardship of life in prison had been a lack of purpose. “I don’t want to be looking over my shoulder the rest of my life. We go back and we give Hardy a message he’ll never forget. It needs to be big and direct. We send him a message that demonstrates in no uncertain terms that any time I choose, I can rain down fire and brimstone. It’s not something I relish, but it’s the only way to guarantee he doesn’t come after me.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  It was a warm day, so Rayner and Jenny had gone for a spin in his new toy. Just before he’d learned he was going to be a father, Rayner had treated himself to a sporty Mercedes convertible. He now joked he’d better make the most of the car before needing to trade it in for a more sedate family saloon, with space for a buggy and all the paraphernalia that goes with transporting a child. Plus, child-proof fabrics that wouldn’t show dropped and ground-in food and spilled drinks or vomit.

  While they we
re out, we’d taken the opportunity to get some food shopping done. I opened the front door of our home and stepped aside to let Alice, Faith and Monica go in first. When Sandy didn’t come bounding up the hallway, I assumed she’d managed to get herself stuck in one of the rooms. She has a habit of entering a room and knocking a door shut with her backside.

  Barking came from the kitchen. “Sandy! Where are you?” called Faith. She ran towards the barking while Alice went to the sitting room to charge her phone. Monica, with a shopping bag in each hand, followed Faith to the kitchen. I put my bags in the hallway and went back out to grab the last bag and lock the car.

  “James!” called Monica. “James! Come see this.”

  I grabbed the shopping bag and shut the back of the car.

  “Daddy!” called Faith with alarm in her voice.

  I ran into the house, almost knocking over Alice, who had come out of the sitting room to see what the commotion was about. Monica and Faith stepped aside and let me through the kitchen door. Alice followed me.

  Sandy was barking at us and furiously wagging her tail, wondering why nobody was making a fuss of her.

  “Who did it, Daddy?” said Alice.

  Faith was clinging to Monica. “Is Sandy okay? Who did that to her?”

  “I don’t know,” I said. “She’s fine.” It had looked at first glance as though Sandy were covered in blood, but the smell told me it was ketchup. Her coat was matted with it. There was red fluid on the floor around her feet and up the side of the white refrigerator that she had been tied to with her lead. The kitchen looked a wreck. Somebody had gone to town on trashing it.

  “Who tied her to the fridge?” asked Faith.

  “I don’t know,” I repeated.

  “Have you seen the back door?” asked Alice.

  “Yes. I’ve seen it.” I looked at Monica. She understood the look.

  “Okay, girls. Let’s go,” said Monica. “Let’s give Daddy some space.” Monica led the girls away despite a barrage of complaints.

  I untied Sandy and led her out to the front of the house, where I asked if the girls would like to hose her down. They jumped at the chance, while Sandy, who quickly worked out what was coming, looked less enamoured.

  Back in the kitchen, I examined the back door. It had been forced. I phoned the local police. While I waited for them to arrive, I checked around the house to see what had been stolen. It quickly became apparent nothing was missing. Perhaps we’d disturbed them as we arrived home. Maybe some kids just wanted to let off steam and thought it would be funny to vandalise a home. I sighed and leaned against the worktop. What a bloody mess.

  Chapter Nineteen

  At the driveway of the house, I took the lead off a freshly scrubbed Sandy and let her run up to the house. Across the street was a familiar face. Detective Inspector Emma Cotton got out of her car and crossed the road.

  My dog-walking buddy, Faith, spotted her and waved. “Hi, Emma,” she called. “Did you hear we got burgled, kinda? Nothing was stolen, but Sandy got slimed with ketchup.”

  “Hi, sweetheart,” said Emma. “Yes, I heard about that. I’m sorry.

  “Daddy said she looked like a hot dog.”

  “Your daddy’s funny, isn’t he?”

  “Sometimes,” said Faith. “Usually, his jokes are rubbish.” She looked at me with a cheeky smile, then back at Emma. “Your hair looks nice. I’d like mine short like yours. I bet Monica won’t let me.”

  “Your hair is perfect just the way it is. I love seeing yours in plaits. If you have it short like this, you won’t be able to do that.” Cotton flicked her new haircut to demonstrate how short it was.

  “Suppose you’re right. I’m going to ask anyway. Are you staying for dinner? You can sit next to me. We’re having tuna pasta and garlic bread. Monica said we’ll probably have to have fruit for dessert because that’s all we’ve got and it’s good for me. I do have some jelly snakes in my school bag we can share.”

  “I can’t tonight, honey. Maybe next time.”

  “Are you doing anything nice instead?”

  “I have a date.”

  “What’s his name?”

  “Alex. He’s a dentist.”

  “Make sure you brush your teeth before your date then. He’s bound to check.”

  Emma laughed. “I will. I’ll brush them good and proper, even the back ones.”

  “Why don’t you run in and wash your hands ready for dinner?” I said to Faith, who looked disappointed. She gave Cotton a hug and ran inside. “You know she says she want to be an inspector like you when she grows up,” I told Emma. “Not like me – like you.”

  We both laughed.

  “A date? That sounds nice,” I said, encouragingly.

  “It’s more of a drink with a friend who happens to be male and recently single. I’m not sure I’m ready for anything serious, to be honest. David was a big part of my life for so long.”

  The image of Cotton discovering David’s mutilated body flashed across my mind. “It must be tough to move on,” I said. “But somehow we must.”

  I watched as her expression changed, and I knew her visit wasn’t the social kind. She looked down at the ground as she gathered her thoughts.

  “What’s on your mind, Cotton?” I leaned against the garden wall and held my breath. “Is it the break-in?”

  “No.” I watched as she chose her words carefully. “There’s been a prison escape. I was worried you might have seen it on the news before I got here.”

  “No. We’ve been out all day. I’ve not heard the news yet.”

  Cotton looked me in the eye. “It was Edward Fischer.”

  “What?” My mind exploded with a million questions and even more concerns.

  “I’m sorry. I’ve only just heard, myself. At first it was kept quiet in the hope he could be recaptured quickly. That was five days ago. Now, news outlets are free to broadcast details.”

  “This can’t be happening. You’re telling me that almost exactly one month after Kelly Lyle informs me Edward Fischer murdered my wife, he miraculously escapes a maximum-security prison? That’s no coincidence, Cotton.” Suddenly a horrible thought struck me. “Is that why you’re here? Do you think this break-in is connected?”

  “I don’t know, Hardy. It could be. What we do know is that Fischer was being moved between Larkstone Prison and hospital. The prison officers were held at gunpoint. There’s good reason to believe he had inside help.”

  “No kidding. Of course he had help.” I wasn’t angry at Cotton; she was just the messenger used to soften the blow.

  “Word is he’s planning to get out of the country. The chances are he’ll be picked up at a port or airport or train station. As soon as I know more, I’ll be in touch.”

  My mind was doing somersaults. I needed time to think. “I might have some questions. If I do, can I call you later or tomorrow? I need to take this news in.”

  “You have my number. I’m going to be busy. If I don’t pick up, leave a message and I’ll call you back. I was one of the last people to interview Fischer, so it’s considered important I’m added to the task force tracking him down. I’ve also been questioned. You know how it is.”

  “Yeah, I do.” I looked over my shoulder at the house. I could hear laughter coming from inside. “Can we keep this between us for the time being? Rayner’s here with his wife, and we’ve been celebrating their good news. They’re going to be parents.”

  “That’s wonderful.” Cotton beamed. “Please pass on my congratulations. And of course I won’t say a word.”

  “Are you sure you won’t come in for a few minutes?”

  “No. Thank you. I’d better get going.” Cotton checked the time on her phone. “I’ll pop by again soon. It’ll be good to catch up.”

  “Thank you, Cotton.” I stayed leaning against the wall as I watched her drive away. I felt physically sick. I didn’t want to go inside the house. I knew what this was. This was Lyle’s first move in her sick game of chess. She�
��d just moved her pawn. Edward Fischer was free. Now, I felt sure she was waiting to see what my move would be.

  Chapter Twenty

  From their candlelit table, Cotton could see the shimmer of the full moon on the sea beneath the clear night sky and twinkling stars. Lights sparkled along the quayside and from boats moored in the marina.

  “I’ve had a lovely evening, Alex. Thank you,” said Cotton.

  “Me too,” said Alex. “I’d like to do it again… if you’d like that.”

  “A third date,” Cotton said. “Are you sure you can put up with me a third time?”

  Alex smiled and said, “Why do you do that?”

  “What?”

  “Put yourself down. Why wouldn’t I want a third date? You’re intelligent, funny and beautiful.” Alex took Cotton’s hand. “I definitely want to know you better, Emma.”

  Cotton blushed. “My last relationship ended badly. He betrayed me. I suppose I thought it was my fault the relationship had gone off the rails. My job sometimes takes over. Truth is, I know it was at least partly my fault. I let it happen. It was easier to ignore the problems than to deal with the truth that we’d drifted apart.”

  “I’m sorry,” said Alex. He squeezed Cotton’s hand. “It’s better you broke up than had a lifetime of unhappiness. Hopefully, he’s found someone now who’s right for him.”

  “He died.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. How did he die? Was it an illness?” He paused and reddened. “That’s personal – you don’t need to answer that.”

  “He was murdered. Let’s leave it there. I don’t want to put a downer on the evening.”

  “Of course. Unlike my life as a dentist, I suppose I’ll have to get used to some questions about work being out of bounds if my girlfriend is a detective inspector.”

  Cotton’s heart fluttered. “Girlfriend? Is that what I am?”

  Alex sat a little straighter. He took a hand away and nervously fiddled with his cuff link. “I’d like that, if you would.”